NOTE: I was offered a voucher to try foodora for free, but all opinions are based on my own experience.

Have you ever gone home after work to only find nothing in your fridge or you’re just simply too exhausted from work to do any cooking? Then you do some searches and only find pizza, Chinese food and most of the time they don’t even do delivery. Third party food delivery services have been popping up all over Vancouver, and the newest to our city is foodora. Read on to find out how you can win a $30 voucher or claim a $10 voucher!

Foodora started in Berlin, Germany and is already servicing Montreal and Toronto, and now Vancouver. What differentiates foodora the most from the other delivery services is that they can deliver to places other than your work and home. For example, foodora can deliver to English Bay or even Stanley Park. Currently, foodora can only deliver to the downtown core, but they are constantly expanding, so check back often if your location is not included yet. In addition, the choice of restaurants include everything from cold-pressed juices, poke, sushi, ramen, sandwiches, and even fine dining food like Bauhaus!

Foodora contacted me to give the service a try and ordering was super easy! You can order from their website on your desktop or through their mobile app. Once you place your order, your meal can be delivered within 35 minutes. You can also pre-order like I did. You can then pay for your meal including any tips you would like to pay your driver online with credit card or PayPal. Another differentiation is that foodora delivers by bike and you are able to track your delivery status online and watch the bike go. These foodora bikers bike super fast by the way! I had a good time watching how quickly my food was being picked up and bypassing all the busy downtown traffic. My order arrived right on time which normally never happens with other food delivery services I’ve tried using cars. Eco-friendly and fast!

Pork & Prawns Salad Roll

I was craving some Vietnamese food on this cold rainy day so ended up choosing a new restaurant, Little Saigon, in Yaletown to try. For our appetizer, we had the Pork & Prawns Salad Roll which featured vermicelli, lettuce, bean sprouts, pickled carrots, cucumber, basil, pork and prawns wrapped in rice paper served with a house made peanut sauce. The rice paper was thin and they didn’t cheap out on the filling.

Saigon Special

For our entree, we had the Saigon Special which included grilled lean pork, pork patties, chicken patties, 4 tiger prawns and 2 spring rolls served atop vermicelli. We were super impressed that the food was still warm when it arrived and the portions were great. We especially liked the pork patties which were seasoned perfectly.

Coconut Curry Chicken Stew

Last but not least, we had the Coconut Curry Chicken Stew. The stew was filled with large chunks of chicken, carrots, yams & potatoes and cooked in an exotic blend of herbs, spices and coconut milk. We got this with a side of baguette which was perfect for soaking the curry sauce. Extremely flavourful and wasn’t too spicy.

Overall, we were extremely happy with the food at Little Saigon and have added it to our list of favourites for Vietnamese food. In addition, we really enjoyed how easy and efficient foodora was. We will definitely be using their service again when busy season hits and we are stuck at the office working overtime!

RECEIVE A $10 VOUCHER!

Use this referral code and download the foodora app to receive a $10 voucher towards your first order with foodora.

GIVEAWAY!

To celebrate foodora’s launch in Vancouver, I’ve collaborated with foodora to giveaway a $30 voucher to use on your next order. Check on my Instagram for details on how to enter. Contest ends December 2, 2016 11:59 pm PST.

NOTE: All food and beverages were complimentary, but all opinions are based on my own experience.

Last month, I was invited to a media tasting at On Yogurt organized by Jacqueline to try their new menu item, Taiyaki Ice Cream. It was my first time visiting On Yogurt, and I was excited because I have been hearing about their ice fried yogurt. Ice fried doesn’t mean the yogurt is actually fried. Instead, the yogurt is flash frozen so the outside is icy and crispy while the middle smooth and creamy. The yogurt is then rolled and placed in cups and you can add various toppings. I believe this is a popular dessert in Thailand, but we luckily have it in Vancouver now!

Oreo

They currently offer five flavours:

Strawberry

Oreo

Creme Brulee

Matcha

Chocolate

The taiyaki is filled with their famous ice fried yogurt and topped with complimentary toppings depending on the flavour. The filling below the ice cream is different for each flavour as well, including custard, nutella, red bean, and coconut paste.

Crème Brûlée

When we first tried it, one side of the fish pastry was croissant, while the other side was the typical cake batter we are usually familiar with. This caused one side to burn quicker. Since then, they have revised their taiyaki so that both sides are croissant and therefore crispier.

Matcha

I have to say, I really enjoyed the texture of the ice fried yogurt. You get a much firmer texture and once its in your mouth, it melts into a very creamy and smooth texture.

Strawberry

Overall, I really enjoyed the ice fried yogurt itself, but I found that paired with the hot taiyaki, the yogurt melted too quickly even though it is already very firm. Still, it is fun to watch the ice fried yogurt being made, and I think I would stick with the yogurt just in a cup next time until they have perfected the melting issue.

NOTE: All beers sampled were complimentary as part of a media tasting. However, all opinions are based on my own experience.

It’s that time of the year again and if you’re still looking for the perfect holiday gift or you’re just a beer enthusiast, then this is for you. Earlier this month, Parallel 49 and Central City Brewers launched their collaboration of the advent-style beer calendar, called Seasons Greetings 24-Pack. Yes, if you’re tired of getting chocolate advent calendars, why not get one filled with 24 beers. In the pack, which goes for $72.99 at BC Liquor Stores and select private liquor stores, you’ll find seasonal favourites as well as some exclusive beers. Each brewery has pulled in 12 beers each for the pack.

At the media event, we were able to try some of the beers that are in the pack. The selection ranged from sours, stouts, scotch ales, porters, winter ales, IPAs and pale ales. For someone who enjoys lighter and fruitier beers, I was happy to find that the pack has many of those, but also a mix of some darker ales for others.

Below are some of the beers included in the pack which we were able to try. The other 12 are a mystery!

The first 6 we got a sneak preview for were from Parallel 49. Of these, I really enjoyed the Filthy Dirty Grapefruit IPA which is great for those who enjoy a fruitier beer. The Top O’ The Mornin’ Breakfast Stout was an interesting one as it tasted just like coffee! It’s made using coffee beans from 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters.

The other 6 were from Central City Brewers. They feature the brand Red Racer. In this pack, there’s some stronger beers with one up to 11.5% in alcohol content. The Red Racer Fly by Night Porter was an interesting one again because of the strong notes of coffee and chocolate. I usually don’t like dark beers but the coffee flavour really made it much more interesting. Again, they also feature some fruit beers like the Red Racer Kiwi Sour which was a favourite for K. Light and fruity.

Overall, this holiday gift pack definitely has a large variety of beers and imagine how fun it’ll be to reveal a new beer each day in December! Definitely the perfect gift for your beer loving friend.

Extreme late post, but for my birthday this year, S took me to Sushi Bar Maumi for dinner. They are known for their fresh fish which is imported daily from Japan and what most believe is as authentic of a sushi bar in Japan as you can get in Vancouver. The restaurant seats only 10 people each time slot and you must reserve the specific time slot in advance. Because the restaurant is only run by the chef and one waitress, they only take reservations from 3-5:30pm. In fact, S said they were extremely strict on the phone stating that they don’t serve any alcohol, that you must order from their omakase menu, and that you better arrive a bit early because latecomers will be frowned upon. They only have 3 seatings: at 6pm, 7:30pm and 9pm.

Because the restaurant is very small and intimate, I tried to avoid taking too many interior pictures. Essentially, the chef stands in the middle and the seats form a half circle around him. Apparently, this is very different from what it was like a year ago, when you could order off the omakase menu. Now, the nigiris are served one piece at a time. However, we were surprised that all the fish is cut in advance. I guess this saves time so that the service can be done as quick as possible. At the same time, some may find this is not as authentic as what you would experience in Japan. However, for the price point compared to the ones in Japan, I can’t complain.

Fresh Kisu Tempura

Other than sushi, they do feature some soups and appetizers. We decided to try the Fresh Kisu Tempura, which comes with one silver whiting and three pieces of assorted vegetables. The batter wasn’t too thick but I thought this was quite expensive given how little and thin the vegetables were sliced. I would skip this next time and focus on the nigiri.

Flounder

When we visited, there were only two omakase menus to choose from. A 10 piece nigiri omakase for $45 and a 12 piece nigiri omakase for $60. The difference is that the more expensive menu comes with Bluefin tuna and Bafun Uni from Hokkaido. We decided to go for the latter to get the best experience. The fish change daily depending on what the chef believes is fresh, so you may get different items from what I experienced. In addition, the chef will ask you if you want wasabi inside or not. In Japan, most restaurants would have wasabi inside already, but I guess they are catering to the clientele in Vancouver. Our first item was the Flounder. I loved this as it was oily and melted in my mouth.

Amaebi (Spotted Prawn)

Next was the Amaebi (spotted prawn). I usually don’t like this as I find it quite slimy, and if not fresh, it can have a weird aftertaste. However, this was extremely fresh and sweet.

Fried Amaebi Heads

In Japan, they don’t waste any of their ingredients. This meant that the heads of the prawns were lightly fried. We looked around and everyone was eating the whole thing, so we did the same! I guess it’s like soft shell crab, but I honestly wasn’t very used to eating the shell.

Surume Ika (Flying Squid)

Next up was the Flying Squid, which was lightly brushed with soy sauce. I’m not usually a fan of squid for sushi because it can be too chewy sometimes, but this was actually very tender.

Bluefin Tuna

Because we paid for the more expensive option, our menu included the Bluefin Tuna. This was seriously the best part of my meal. The tuna literally melted in my mouth! I highly recommend trying this, but don’t eat too much since this type of tuna has been overfished!

Hotategai (Scallop)

Onto another favourite and must order of mine at all sushi restaurants is the Scallop nigiri. I love a good fresh scallop, and this was perfect with a subtle sweetness of the sea. Apparently, this is fresh from Hokkaido. I love it paired with the wasabi underneath.

Buri (Japanese Amberjack)

An unfamiliar fish to me was the Japanese Amberjack. To be honest, I am not very adventurous with my sashimi and usually stick to the typical tuna, salmon, and scallops. I was suprised that the Japanese Amberjack was more of a deep red as I always thought it was more of light pink flesh colour. However, paired with the light soy sauce, it was delicious.

Aji (Japanese Horse Mackarel)

I’m usually not a fan of Japanese Horse Mackarel because I find that it can be quite fishy sometimes. However, this was very fresh and along with the ginger and green onion, it complemented the fish very well.

Big Eye Tuna

Another favourite of mine was the Big Eye Tuna which is a cut from the red tuna. It was brushed with soy sauce so it was glistening! This is not the melt in your mouth type of cut, but I actually really enjoyed it. You get more texture from this.

Kanpachi (Greater Amberjack)

I’ve never had Kanpachi, so this surprised me. It was very fatty and high in oil content and therefore melted in my mouth. So creamy!

Bafun Uni (Sea Urchin)

I love Uni! Not something for everyone because S tried it for her first time and absolutely hated it. I can see why as it does have a strong sea flavour and can taste funny for first-timers. However, I loved how it was paired with wasabi to bring the sea flavour out. The bafun uni comes from Hokkaido which is the most prized due to the kelp and clean water that they feed on. Absolutely delicious!

Saba (Mackarel)

Similar to the aji, the Saba came without the garnishes and was also not as tender. It was meatier and had more of a chew.

Anago (Saltwater Eel)

To finish our omakase, we had the Saltwater Eel, which had a more delicate texture than your typical unagi. It was my first time trying this, and although I usually dislike unagi, I fell in love with anago! The chef torched the eel slightly and therefore the eel just melted in my mouth! A great way to end the meal!

Overall, S and I were very impressed with the quality of sushi at Sushi Bar Maumi. I definitely cannot afford to come here all the time, but it is a nice treat once in a while if you want to experience what a Japanese omakase would be like. Keep in mind that there is a time limit, so it’s not a place to stay long and chat after and your conversations should be kept quiet. Also, after your omakase, they present you with a menu with all the nigiris you can order (many of which are not on the omakase). Each piece is quite expensive but you can try many fish that you might not be able to find elsewhere.

NOTE: The two meals were sent by Fresh Prep for free but all opinions are based on my own experience.

Last month, Fresh Prep contacted me to give their service a try. Fresh Prep is a subscription service where you can select your meal each week and they will deliver it straight to your home or office. The ingredients are pre-portioned and some are even chopped up so that cooking is super quick. All the ingredients come in an insulated cooler bag to ensure they do not spoil.

I actually really liked how most of the ingredients were cut up already. I don’t know if this means my ingredients may not be as fresh, but it definitely helps save a lot of time. They currently only deliver to specific areas in Metro Vancouver and Richmond is not part of the delivery route. This was a bit frustrating for me, but they do deliver to work places, so I had it sent to my sister’s work place in downtown. You select the time frame that you want the meal delivered, but they ended up delivering past the time. I’m guessing it’s due to the traffic in downtown, but it was quite inconvenient if you need to leave on time.

We selected the Shrimp and Tomato Orzo with Basil and Skillet Chilaquilles with Fried Eggs and Avocado. For me, I found the choice of dishes was quite limited and it often repeated the next week. In addition, the meals are definitely on the healthier side compared to the other meal delivery services. That’s definitely a positive!

In your cooler bag, you will find the recipe cards. There aren’t any pictures but the instructions are still pretty understandable. We didn’t have too much trouble figuring out what we needed to do. The only downside was that we didn’t have a cast iron skillet, so we had to work around that.

The Shrimp and Tomato Orzo was very easy to make and definitely took less than 30 minutes. I pretty much just had to dump everything together and throw it in the oven.

This actually turned out very presentable! We loved how fresh and big the prawns were. They were super bouncy! However, it was our first time trying orzo and we didn’t like it at all. Just a personal preference I guess, but we didn’t like the texture of orzo.

Onto the Skillet Chilaquilles which required us to fry our own tortilla chips. I would’ve liked it if they were already fried since this does take up quite a lot of time and you can’t get it as crispy as the store bought ones.

Because we didn’t have a cast iron skillet, our presentation definitely lacked. We also found that it had too much tomato paste and our chips were not crispy enough. It was quite saucy and we didn’t think it tasted that good. Way too tart.

Overall, our experience with Fresh Prep was quite average. Perhaps we personally didn’t like the meals we had. I can see these dishes being quite healthy though. Also, the portions are huge! Even though these are made for two people, you can definitely feed up to 3 people. A very good deal for sure if you enjoy the dishes they offer.

NOTE: All food and beverages were complimentary, but all opinions are based on my own experience.

Last month, I was invited to the Maille Flavour Studio at the Columbia StrEAT Food Truck Fest. La Maison Maille has been around for amount 300 years now and originated in Marseille, France. They have boutiques around the world including London and New York, but unfortunately not in Vancouver. You can find select items in Loblaws or Urban Fare though.

Other than their classic dijon mustard, they also carry cornichons and flavoured mustard. The flavoured mustards are great for pairing with pretzels and crackers. Some of the flavours include Parmesan Cheese and Basil, Blue Cheese, Pesto and Arugula, and Mango and Thai Spices.

Peach Chutney Glazed Waffles with Honey Mustard Fried Chicken

When I think of mustard, I automatically think of hot dogs. But after attending the Maille event, I was amazed at all the recipes that mustard can be incorporated in. First up was these bite sized Peach Chutney Glazed Waffles with Maille Honey Mustard Fried Chicken. I loved how the honey mustard came in the little pipettes and you squeezed the mustard into the chicken as you pull it out.

Steak, Coleslaw and Honey Mustard Sliders

Another favourite was the Steak, Coleslaw and Honey Mustard Slider topped with a cornichon.

Smoked salmon and mustard also pairs very well!

Vanilla and Maille Mustard Poached Pear

Wait, dessert and mustard? Yes, apparently you can use mustard in sweets! Served in verrine with bourbon mascarpone mousse and a pommery mustard praline topping, these were a delicious treat!

Okay, so mustard can be used to make desserts, but what about cocktails? Yes! This was definitely a huge surprise for us.

Le Moutarde

K loved the mustard cocktail called Le Moutarde. Slightly sweet with a shot of Vodka, this got us curious what was in it. The following is the recipe to make Le Moutard:

2 tsps. liquid cane sugar

1/2 oz lemon juice

1 oz white cranberry juice

4 cucumber pieces

1 tsp. Maille à l’estragon mustard

1 oz lemon flavoured Vodka Absolut

ice

You can find more recipes for cocktails and other dishes on their website!

Halfway through the event, mustard sommelier Harry Lalousis showed us how to make a mustard vinaigrette perfect for salads. He knows everything about mustard and I’m amazed at all the recipes he’s made with mustard!

Then we got to the fun part! We got to make our own mustard! At the event, the public was able to do this for $2 which is a pretty good deal!

The stations are set up with a variety of ingredients that pair well with mustard including fruits and herbs.

Everyone gets their own mortar and pestle.

For my mustard, I decided to add rosemary and lemon juice. You really have to grind up the rosemary leaves!

You can then choose to add either the Old Style Grainy Mustard or the smooth Dijon Mustard.

I decided to go with the grainy mustard since I love this paired with meats and cheese on a charcuterie board.

Mixed it up a bit and there you have it! My own creation of mustard! K made a raspberry infused one and it was surprisingly very good as well. We’ve already been using our mustard with our dishes including pairing it with our rack of lamb. Delicious!

Overall, it was lots of fun learning all about mustard and the ways you can incorporate it in your dishes. You won’t want to go back to the generic brands after you try this gourmet brand of mustard, Maille!

NOTE: All food and beverages were complimentary, but all opinions are based on my own experience.

IcePik Shavery has been around for over a year now and features a hybrid between Hawaiian shaved ice and ice cream. They claim that this “snow cream” therefore has a nice fluffy snow-like texture. I’ve been wanting to visit for a long time now, but I don’t go to Burnaby often. So when Jacqueline invited me to a tasting, I couldn’t say no!

You first order at the counter and then you can eat in as there are a decent amount of seats. They have ready-made combos as well as the choice to customize your own.

Matcha Snow Cream

First, you will need to pick your size: regular ($4.50) or large ($5.50).

Earl Grey Snow Cream

Next, you select your snow cream flavour. Flavours include:

Sesame

Mango

Taro

Original

Green Tea

Mint

Coconut

Earl Grey

Black Sesame Snow Cream

Next up are all the toppings you can choose from. Each topping is 60 cents. My favourites are fresh fruit like mango or strawberry and mochi balls. They have a variety of mochi flavours, like mango, original, green tea or strawberry.

You can then pick a flavour from their drizzle station which is complimentary. The drizzles include caramel, condensed milk, chocolate and strawberry sauce.

Coconut Snow Cream

If you don’t want to worry about choosing the wrong ingredients and ending up with a funky tasting dessert, then you can choose their ready-made combos. They will be slightly more expensive at $5.95 for a regular and $6.95 for a large, but keep in mind that it includes 3-4 toppings already so is actually a better deal.

Sea Cream Coffee

Other than snow cream, they also have coffee and milk tea for drinks. We tried their Sea Cream Coffee which I quite enjoyed. It was slightly sweet but salty at the same time because of the sea cream.

Overall, I quite enjoyed the snow creams at IcePik Shavery. The shaved ice is not as powdery as Snowy Village’s, but it is very fluffy. I also like how they have an assortment of flavours and toppings to choose from. Will be back for sure!

NOTE: All food and beverages were complimentary, but all opinions are based on my own experience.

Thanks to Jacqueline, I was invited along with a few other foodies to a tasting at Bob Likes Thai Food. The restaurant is located on Broadway and Granville, and I’ve actually been there quite a few times for their lunch menu since it’s close to my work place.

The interior is colourful but it definitely cannot fit too many diners. It can get quite cramped but all the times I’ve visited during lunch hasn’t been too bad in terms of getting a seat. Probably because of the large variety of Thai/Malay restaurants in the area.

Lychee Mimosa

We started off with a variety of drinks to try. The first was a Lychee Mimosa which I really enjoyed! With a mix of sparkling cava and lychee juice, this was a light and refreshing drink.

Mai Tai

For those who want a non-alcoholic drink, there is the colourful virgin Mai Tai. Tasted like a delicious orange punch.

Iced Thai Milk Tea, Iced Thai Lime Tea

A favourite among the group was the Iced Thai Milk Tea. Creamy and strong in tea flavour, this will give you a little wake me up. The Iced Thai Lime Tea is similar but without the milk and instead is flavoured with lime. I wasn’t a fan of this one as I didn’t like the lime and tea flavour mixed together.

Thai Mojito

The Thai Mojito is another option if you want alcohol in your drink.

Kar Tong Tong with Mango Salad

The first appetizer was the Kar Tong Tong with Mango Salad. The whole dish is edible with the little tarts made with flour and filled with corn, carrots, peas, mangoes, cashews, fish sauce, oyster sauce, and soy sauce. These bite size appies are fun to eat and delicious.

Bacon Wrapped Lychee

I’ve had bacon wrapped scallops, but Bacon Wrapped Lychee is something new! Surprisingly it worked. The sweetness of the lychee with the salty and smoky bacon complemented each other quite well!

Gai Hor Bai Toey

The Gai Hor Bai Toey is marinated chicken with Thai herbs, coriander root, white peppercorn, wrapped with pandan leaf and served with their housemade sesame soy sauce. This reminded me of the Malaysian dish I had in Singapore. So flavourful and would pair well with rice.

I really enjoyed the Prawns in Pineapple Curry as large prawns in a red coconut curry filled the pineapple shell. Pair it with rice, and this tropical curry will not disappoint you!

Pad Thai

Last but not least was the Pad Thai. I usually get this for lunch, so it was a familiar dish. This classic dish features fried rice noodles with prawns, smoked tofu, peanuts, egg, bean sprouts and chives. I find that the Pad Thai here is slightly more sweet and isn’t very spicy. I’d like a little more kick to it.

Coconut Pudding

For dessert, the Coconut Pudding was visually appealing but I found it to be a little too gritty. It is made with fresh coconut, palm sugar, coconut water, and caramelized coconut.

Fresh Coconut

You can also get a full Fresh Coconut with the pulp scraped out. So refreshing for the summer!

Overall, Bob Likes Thai was consistent with the previous visits I had. I normally get their curries during lunch (they have great lunch deals too!) and they are always great. However, they also have many seafood dishes during dinner such as the ones we tried that night. I find the flavours to be more mild but I think you can ask to have it more spicy.